Casting guide for reinforced concrete pile sections

Abstract

A casting guide and a method of making a concrete pile using the casting guide, the casting guide including a casting guide end plate, at least two lock rod forms including a first set of crosswise through-holes, and at least two lock socket forms including a second set of crosswise through-holes. The first and second sets of crosswise through-holes configured to removably receive a casting guide pin extending substantially across the casting guide end plate and interconnecting the crosswise through-holes the lock rod forms or lock socket forms when the casting guide is inside a casting chute.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A casting guide, comprising:
 a casting chute; 
 a casting guide end plate; 
 a plurality of spaced apart lock rod forms attached to the casting guide end plate and extending substantially perpendicular to the casting guide end plate, at least two of the lock rod forms comprising a first set of crosswise through-holes having an axis substantially parallel to the plane of the casting guide end plate and substantially co-axial to each other; and 
 a plurality of spaced apart lock socket forms attached to the casting guide end plate and extending substantially perpendicular to the casting guide end plate in a substantially opposite direction from the plurality of lock rod forms, at least two of the lock socket forms comprising a second set of crosswise through-holes having an axis substantially parallel to the plane of the casting guide end plate and substantially co-axial to each other, 
 wherein the first and second sets of crosswise through-holes are each configured to removably receive a casting guide pin extending substantially across the casting guide end plate and interconnecting the crosswise through-holes of at least two of the plurality of lock rod forms or lock socket forms when the casting guide is positioned inside the casting chute. 
 
     
     
       2. The casting guide of  claim 1 , wherein the casting guide end plate is rigidly connected to a second casting guide end plate comprising a second plurality of spaced apart lock rod forms and a second plurality of spaced apart lock socket forms. 
     
     
       3. The casting guide of  claim 1 , wherein the casting guide end plate comprises cable through-holes, each configured to receive a prestressing cable. 
     
     
       4. The casting guide of  claim 1  further comprising the casting guide pin. 
     
     
       5. The casting guide of  claim 4 , wherein the casting guide pin is substantially cylindrical-shaped with one flat side. 
     
     
       6. The casting guide of  claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of the casting chute is trapezoidal. 
     
     
       7. The casting guide of  claim 1 , wherein the casting chute comprises two side members and an interior space between the two side members having a cross-sectional shape substantially similar to a cross-sectional shape of the casting guide end plate. 
     
     
       8. The casting guide of  claim 7 , wherein the cross-sectional shape of the interior space of the casting chute comprises two rounded corners. 
     
     
       9. The casting guide of  claim 1 , wherein at least two corners of the casting guide plate are rounded.